The field of the disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods for brewing beverages from precursor particulates, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for distributing liquid to the brew basket of such apparatus.
Beverages brewers for making hot beverages such as coffee or tea typically have a brew basket into which precursor particulates such as ground coffee or tea leaves are loaded (e.g., loosely, contained in a filter bag or pod, or other manner). The brewer also includes a liquid delivery system having a heater, such as a CALROD heater or other commonly used heating arrangement, and a reservoir containing liquid (e.g., water) to be heated by the heater and used in brewing the beverage. In some conventional brewers, a riser tube, or up tube, directs heated liquid from the heater to a showerhead that is positionable over the brew basket where the liquid exits the showerhead and flows into the brew basket for contact with the precursor particulates. Existing showerheads typically include a large chamber with one or more outlet openings in the bottom of the chamber so that liquid flows into the large chamber and then vertically downward through the outlet openings.
In such an arrangement, an undesired amount of thermal energy is typically lost from the heated liquid as is flows into contact with a relatively large surface area of material in flowing along the liquid delivery system, including into the relatively large showerhead chamber. Additionally, in directing the liquid to exit the showerhead vertically downward, localized or otherwise relatively uneven distribution of the liquid onto the precursor particulates occurs. For example, irrespective of the flow rate of liquid into and out of the showerhead, the liquid flows straight downward onto the same spot within the brew basket.
Accordingly, there is a need for a beverage brewer and in particular a showerhead for such a brewer, that reduces thermal loss (e.g., so as to deliver hotter liquid to the brew basket and/or to speed up brewing time), and facilitates a uniform distribution of heated liquid from the showerhead onto the precursor particulates in the brew basket.